Business continuity specialist
Help companies protect themselves against any events that could put them out of business - from staff shortages to data hacks.
Also known as: security consultant
About the job
What it's like
Business continuity specialists make sure businesses can keep on running, even in challenging times. For example, how would the business adapt if its product supply chain failed? Or how would it carry on after a natural disaster? Or how would it adapt when faced with a global pandemic?
By answering these, and many more questions, you’ll play a crucial role in protecting your organisation’s property, employees and profit. It’s a big responsibility, as you can end up in court if you haven’t put the right measures in place.
Day-to-day, you’ll audit business areas to identify potential risks, and then you’ll develop ways to minimise or solve any issues you find. You’ll need to keep up to date with any new threats, like those related to emerging technology, so you can include these in your planning.
To excel as a business continuity specialist, you’ll have great people skills. This lets you work closely with your colleagues to help everyone understand events that could threaten the business – and how to prevent them.
What you’ll do
Audit strategies for business continuity, including how to manage in a crisis and how to recover after a disaster
Find weak points and safety risks in how the business currently runs
Develop and publish processes for decision making and communications in the event of an emergency
Train management and other staff on business continuity processes
Generate hypothetical scenarios to stress-test your plans in the face of various different types of disruption
Keep up to date with what’s required by law and monitor industry trends to identify potential threats
Manage budgets for business continuity resources
Hours
A standard working week is common for business continuity specialists, but you may need to work extra hours if a disruptive event occurs – especially if you work at a senior level.
Environment
Where you're based will depend on the business you work for. Most business continuity specialists work in offices. If you work as a consultant or for a large business, you may need to travel between sites.
Travel
You will need to travel for meetings, training courses and conferences.
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Related industries
Many jobs can be done in lots of different industries. We've highlighted the ones we think are most important for this job.
Financial and professional services Digital technologies
Top skills
Skills are things you're good at. Whether you know what yours are or not, everyone has them!
It's useful to learn which ones are important in a job so you know the areas you need to brush up on. It can also help you work out if you're suited to a career.
Top specialised skills
These are the top specialised skills that have been found in job vacancies across Scotland. From March 2024 to March 2025.
- operational resilience
- business continuity
- enterprise risk management (erm)
- continuous monitoring
- risk appetite
- operational risk
- risk policies
- taxonomy
- risk modeling
- emerging risk
Meta skills
Here are some of the meta skills you'll need to do this job.
- making decisions
- developing a plan
- attention to detail
- problem solving
- evaluating
- written communication
- verbal communication
- building relationships
Your skills are important
Our unique skillsets are what make us stand out from the crowd. Learn about each skill in depth and discover what employers look for in your applications and interviews.
Getting in
Explore each section to find more information about getting into this career.
Colleges and universities will list subjects you'll need for entry to a course. Some useful subjects include:
Administration and Information Technology
Business Management
English
Maths (Mathematics)
Foundation Apprenticeship: Business Skills
Applications of Mathematics
You can get a head start in this career by doing a Foundation Apprenticeship in S5 and S6.
You'll get an SCQF level 6 qualification which is the same level as a Higher. You'll also learn new skills and gain valuable experience in a work environment.
Discover what's on offer at your school on Apprenticeships.scot.
You can develop the necessary skills for this role through a variety of routes.
Most business continuity specialists will have studied at degree level in subjects such as:
Business studies
Risk management
Others will have qualifications relating to the field they want to work in, such as insurance or health and safety.
There are postgraduate qualifications available in risk management. For entry you would normally be expected to have an honours degree or relevant work/life experience.
Apprenticeships
You can gain skills and qualifications in the workplace through options such as:
Foundation Apprenticeships (FAs) are chosen as one of your subjects in S5 and S6 but include hands-on learning at a local employer or college. They are the same level as a Higher.
You might want to consider an FA in areas such as:
Business skills
Modern Apprenticeships (MAs) mean you learn on the job. You get paid and work towards a qualification at the same time.
You might want to consider an MA in areas such as:
Regulatory services
Data analytics
Graduate Apprenticeships (GAs) are designed for industry and you'll spend most of your time learning on the job but you'll also go to uni or college. You'll get a job, get paid and work towards a qualification at the same time.
You might want to consider a GA in areas such as:
Business management (including financial services)
Not all employers list specific qualification requirements but they might ask for relevant experience, usually work based, that show a range of transferable skills.
Further information and professional qualifications are available from the Institute of Risk Management (IRM).
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